Nice Borderlands references! What's the relationship between Jaune and Weiss? I couldn't follow. Is his grandmother a Schnee? Or is that John's wife? You mentioned that she's Willow's cousin?
The Arc Moon System
- Thread starter Bub3loka
- Start date
- Mature Fantasy Action
Chapter 25 (Vale Noire)
New
Thanks to my Beta readers, Reiter and Lonestar.
Earlier that morning
Detective Munier sighed as he stared at his fifth cup of coffee since starting his shift. He did not even like coffee, but unfortunately, his tea thermos had long been emptied midway through his first shift. Now, he's at the tail end of his double shift, the fifth one this week.
Only three more hours to go, Cherif.
His young partner parked their patrol car outside the rundown apartment building where dispatch had sent them for their next assignment. The young woman was a recent graduate from the police academy; top of her year, and an excellent marksman with unlocked aura at a respectable level. The precinct decided to pair her with him, the oldest dog still in the force.
Typically, new graduates would spend a couple of years doing administrative errands, but given the force's current state, that was no longer feasible.
At 72 years old, Cherif should have retired twelve years ago, yet Vale lawmakers had bumped the retirement age to 62 in an attempt to combat the reckless pension plans offered decades ago… and then to 65 a couple of years later. By the time he was of age to retire, he had decided to stay with the force after all. They barely had anyone to do the job, and Cherif had no wish to rot in his empty house by his lonesome.
Dead wife, dead kids, grandkids he barely knew living their own lives in Argus… He had no wish to impose on them, no matter how many times they begged him to move in with them. Cherif was not an invalid; on the contrary, his constant training had allowed him to look and act far younger than his age would show. There was still plenty of good to be done here in Vale.
Like his protege, Cherif was an aura user, a talented one who had unlocked his semblance at a young age. He was expected to enroll in Beacon, yet he had chosen to follow his father's footsteps in the less prestigious path of a policeman - especially since his semblance was more useful in this line of work. The huntsmen might fight the Grimm in the borderlands, but someone needed to make sure they had a home to return to.
"Sir?" He was broken from his thoughts by the girl's voice. "Should we head in?"
Raya Seeker had been his partner for two weeks now. Her short brown hair was tied into a simple ponytail, yet he could see a few frazzled stray locks. Her eyes were not as bright as when she was first assigned to him, yet she never complained about their long work hours.
"Let's go."
They exited the car, Cherif subtly stretching his legs as the morning sun shined down on him. He glanced at the back seat, where his trench coat was folded, with his hat atop it, but decided against wearing it. It might be classy, and it helped hide his gun belt, but the heat was unbearable as it was. Checking his reflection, he made sure his snow-white hair was combed sideways and his dark eyes did not look too sleep-deprived. Cherif lamented the loss of his black hair, but he was not vain enough to constantly dye it.
At least he still had all his hair.
The detective took this chance to drain his lukewarm coffee before throwing it in an overflowing trashcan. His eyes traced a couple of men in the nearby alley, whom he nodded to. They returned his nod and moved deeper into the alley. Raya stared after them questioningly, but he shook his head.
While this wasn't the poorest of neighborhoods in the residential district, it was only marginally better. A lamppost was missing its bulb, and judging by the broken glass on the ground, it was most likely shot. Stray dogs were fighting with homeless children over scraps of food behind some overcrowded restaurant. Men and women walked down the streets in endless droves while car horns blared ceaselessly as they maneuvered around food stalls opened on the streets - their owners busy cooking breakfast for the many commuters on the sidewalks.
If there was one thing Vale could reliably provide for its people, it would be the vast and diverse amount of beans and legumes that grew quickly all year. Bread, fish, and beans had been the region's main source of food since the days of the old empire.
The few police hands they had could not properly patrol this area of the residential district, yet the force had given him jurisdiction over it regardless. Cherif's reliance on other means of keeping the peace would not normally be approved by the higher-ups, but he knew they had little choice in the matter.
It was either his way or no way at all.
"All those stalls," Raya's hands twitched to her ticket book. "They can't be legal. Do they even have permits?"
"Don't bother. Those people are already downtrodden enough. They don't need more on their plate."
His partner nodded reluctantly before making sure their car was locked and joining him by the building's entrance. Raya Seeker had a lot to live up to. Her father was a major in the army, while her mother came from the old blood of Vale.
The girl was too serious, too dutiful, rarely smiled, and far too rigid for their line of work. It showed in her demeanor: narrow eyes, furrowed brows, pursed lips, and a straight back. Even after fifteen hours of work, she did not allow fatigue to show anywhere nor let her crisp and starched uniform have a single wrinkle. She did everything with deliberate precision, just as she was raised by her strict mother and hard ass of a father.
Cherif loved that about her. Far different from some of his other partners.
There was a difference between some officers who bent, sometimes even broke, the law, claiming the system is already broken so might as well benefit from it anyway. Then, there was him who believed in social cohesion at the cost of overlooking many petty crimes. What was the point of writing citations to people as misfortunate as those when it was clear they would never be able to pay? Waste of paper, that's what it was. They couldn't very well imprison them; Vale had limited prison space, and building any outside the Walls would be catastrophic.
The high walls of Vale were more than just a landmark. Every hour of every day, thousands of troops patrol them and shoot any approaching Grimm that would be attracted to the extreme amount of negativity emanating from over eighty million people living in the city. It was the reason Beacon was built on a high hill close to the Emerald Forest; the further so many powerful aura users were away from the city and her people, the better use they were luring the Grimm away.
Cherif was not particularly popular in the force or with the higher-ups, which explained why he was still a detective in his old age. The fact that the police force was severely understaffed and underfunded for so many years came back to bite them. He had always made his opinion known about it, which did not endear him to the sycophants in the government.
They even had him do regular patrol work now! It's still better than staying at home, and there was no denying that he provided results. His newest partner was evidence of that.
"It's a miracle we found an empty spot right next to the building," Raya said as they climbed the steps to the building, passing by an arguing couple, and turned to the elevator. "Was that another one of those perks you mentioned, sir?"
"Aye, I know some people here who try their best to keep the peace." Cherif pressed the elevator button only to find it broken - he stifled a sigh before heading to the stairs; it was going to be a long climb. "They are good people. I will introduce you to them, but if you would rather not use my methods, I won't force you."
"Thank you, sir. I understand now that doing everything by the books is not plausible, but I still want to do things the right way… Sir."
He chuckled at the girl's obstinacy - just a week ago, she would have insisted on writing those tickets for vendors lacking permits. The sooner she learned to be more flexible, the better, yet he admitted to finding her principled nature endearing.
"Alright, lass, suit yourself. We have a dozen more floors to climb before we reach the apartment. Remind me what our assignment was again?"
"A missing person case." The detective stifled a sigh; there had been far too many of those recently, but this was the first one he got assigned to in a while. "It was filed three days ago. Maisie Lee, 16 years old, female. Last seen four days ago, going to the commercial district for her job. Her family believes she was kidnapped."
Raya opened her scroll and pulled out the report for him, where a picture of a young woman greeted him. Despite owning a first-generation scroll that he only used for texts and calls, Cherif had yet to get accustomed to those new trinkets. Using it for anything more sophisticated was beyond him. He could still remember when simple handheld radios were all the rage. Speaking of, his hand wandered to his belt, making sure his radio was tuned for emergencies only, before placing the earpiece in his ear.
"Make sure your radio is also set for emergencies." Raya quickly mirrored his actions, and he gave her a nod of approval. "It would not do to have it blaring radio chatter while we speak to emotional parents."
"Yes sir."
They continued climbing the stairs in silence. Even with aura, so many steps were torture on his knees, especially as they had to maneuver around children running up and down the steps doing errands or whatnot. Regardless, his attention was on the report, lamenting that it took so long to reach him. Cherif read all he could before they reached their destination, and an idea of what happened to the girl formed in his mind. Still, he would need to confirm with her family.
"Here we are." They stopped by a cracked and badly painted apartment door then turned to his partner. "Ready?"
Raya nodded, politely taking off her police cap and standing behind him as he knocked on the door.
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.
.
"Thank you for the tea, Mr Lee. I promise I will do all I can to find your daughter."
The middle-aged man nodded solemnly as he held his wife and young son in a comforting hug. They had already been here for two hours, and any more platitudes would be cheap. After learning all they could about the girl's disappearance, Cherif did not waste time and excused themselves to get back to work.
He nearly raised his hand to tip his hat before remembering he left it in the car. Instead, he nodded one last time before leaving the apartment, Raya dutifully following him.
"What do you think, Miss Seeker?"
"They were refugees who moved here practically on the first day of the war. The girl must have picked up a job to help with their expenses, but how she disappeared in the commercial district raises questions."
"Aye, she must have found a very lucrative job to stick to a three-hour commute," Cherif replied as they climbed down the stairs. "Most likely not entirely legal, considering she would not tell her family what it was."
"But you do have an idea, sir?"
"I do, and this isn't the first case of a pretty young woman gone missing. There have been a slew of similar cases over the past few months, but the numbers have exploded with the refugee crisis. I believe I know who to call for this." They had to stop and make room for two men moving an oversized couch up the stairs before continuing down. "I'll let you know in the car."
A few minutes later, they were back outside the building. Their car was as they left it, with not even a scratch. Cherif nodded approvingly before walking to the nearby alley and handed a crumpled roll of Lein to the two men who had watched over it. They nodded gratefully and quickly left the scene.
"Sir?"
"In the car, Miss Seeker."
Once inside the privacy of the car, with the windows shut and the AC cranked up to the maximum, Cherif turned to his partner. "What do you think would have happened if I did not prepare watchers for the car?"
"… Most likely broken into, and our trunk would be missing plenty of weaponry."
"Exactly. The police are not popular in these parts for reasons that are out of our hands. There are already enough weapons on the streets following the war, and a patrol car would be a juicy target for any ill-doers. Gangs and the mob practically rule these parts, yet even they know to cooperate with us or risk escalating and bringing the huntsmen on their heads."
"We do not need huntsmen to do our work." Raya practically growled as she tightened her hold on the steering wheel, causing him to chuckle. "Sir?"
"Trust me, lass. I believe you. I did not gain all that respect from those types of people by being nice and offering mutual benefit."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"When the time comes, and I introduce them to you, it will be up to you to earn their respect. Whether by beating the shit out of them or saving one of their own from a trumped-up charge, which are more common than I like. Anyway, I'm going to make a call. Keep an ear out for dispatch."
Cherif removed the radio piece from his ear and dialed a certain number on his scroll, while turning on the loudspeaker. Glancing at his partner to find her listening closely, he nodded approvingly and waited patiently until a groggy voice answered. "Hello?"
"Junior! Didn't catch you before your morning coffee, did I?"
"Mr Munier! No, sir. I just woke up. What's up?"
"Need your help with something. Another one of those Missing Girls cases."
"Oh, bummer. Let me grab Melanie. She might know something."
Cherif put the scroll on mute then turned to Raya. "Hei Xiong, leader of the Xiong Family. Used to be a pain in our asses back in the day. The former leader, Junior's father, even had plants in the VPD, but after his death, Junior decided to take the safer route of cooperating with the police."
"So he is an agent of ours?"
"Bloody hell no! He's still a mobster who looks after his own self-interest first and foremost." Cherif chuckled at his partner's face, "He just understands the hierarchy of society, his place on the food chain, and the importance of providing me with information. He's a good information broker, owns a popular club in the commercial district, also called Junior's."
"Provides you, sir? Not the VPD?"
"Caught that, eh? Yeah, don't expect him to bend over backwards to the rest of the force. As I said, you will need to earn their respect… and fear."
"Hello?"
This time, another drowsy voice, a female one, came from the scroll. "Miss Malachite, sorry I woke you up, my dear, but I got a case for you."
"That's alright," A loud yawn emanated from the scroll. "It's going to cost you, though, Detective."
"Of course it does. The day a Malachite provides information for free is the day the moon would fix itself."
"As long as you understand." The tired voice had an amused lilt to it. "Now, what have you got for me?"
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.
.
"So? Ring any bells?"
A few minutes later, Cherif had gone over what he knew about the case with the girl.
"As a matter of fact, it does. Just last night, I hired a girl who escaped from a secret brothel that pretended to be a cafe. It may or may not be the same one who could have kidnapped Miss Lee, but I believe it's worth a shot."
"Thank you, Miss Malachite. How's your mother, by the way? Still being a nuisance?"
"No, she is just being a bitch, now."
Cherif chuckled at the girl's dry tone. "I suppose one can't choose their family. Anyway, text me what you know about that place, and I'll swing by with your payment later."
"Pleasure doing business with you, Grampy~." Cherif merely chuckled at the girl's insolence; it was like talking to his own great-grandchildren. "And No, Junior! This is my deal, and you won't get to mooch–"
The scroll hung up then, and Cherif could only shake his head at the strange relationship between the Malachites and Junior. "Well, we got a lead."
"Indeed, sir. Who was the girl?"
"You will know when we visit them. Probably in a couple of days." His scroll beeped, and Cherif checked the information before clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Outside of our jurisdiction. The place acts as a Maid Cafe of all things, but it's deep in the commercial district. We will have to go through a lot of red tape just to investigate it, let alone get a warrant. Especially with the owner being Nancy Green."
"Who?"
"Some actress and TV host who was popular a few decades ago. From the generation after me and long before your time. She's friends with a lot of politicians and other important people."
"I see. Where to next, sir?"
"Dispatch didn't send us another assignment?" Raya shook her head, causing him to relax and stifle a yawn. "Then we can call it a day and–"
Suddenly, their radios blared in a loud beeping sound that caused Cherif to instantly be on alert.
"Attention all units on this frequency, we have a Code Red in Dock 11. I repeat, we have a Code Red in Dock 11. May the closest unit, please respond."
Raya's hands flew to the car's radio but halted as she looked at him questioningly. Cherif nodded, and the girl picked up the receiver. "Officer Seeker and Detective Munier, here. We are ten minutes away from Dock 11. What's the situation?"
"Reports of gunfire and explosions in the Wayward Mermaid Inn. Suspected gang war in progress. Detective Munier, please respond with confirmation."
His partner stared at him once more, and Cherif grabbed the speaker. "Munier here. We are on the way. ETA ten minutes." He let the receiver return to the radio and turned to his partner, "Let's hurry."
Raya turned on the sirens and slammed on the gas, expertly getting them out of the tight parking spot and sending pedestrians out of the way. The crowded streets would normally not be easy to get out of owing to the many vendors and cars, but the moment the sirens blared, everyone moved aside for them to pass. Certain men and women nodded or waved to him as they passed, and Cherif was glad he invested his presence in this place.
"So, Code Red. What does that mean?"
He never let a chance to educate his protege go, though he doubted Raya would fail to know such basics. He would admit that when she was first assigned to him, Cherif had his doubts. Practically a rich girl playing at being a police officer, yet within the first day, Raya Seeker had proved him wrong.
"Sir. It means mass shooting with potential fatalities. As dispatch mentioned, the most likely cause is a gang war."
"Good answer. Normally, Code Red is the highest level policemen would tackle, but there are two more codes above it. What are they?"
"Code Black, which is a Grimm attack and it has levels that go from one to five depending on the severity of the attack. One is lowest, while five is highest."
"Indeed. The last time we had to deal with a Grimm attack in Vale proper was years ago. Not even in the war last month did the Grimm manage to breach the walls." Raya nodded but kept her eyes on the road, speeding through traffic like mad as they approached the harbor at Dock 8 from the east before turning north to make their way to their destination. "Now, what's the final, and some would say, the worst code?"
"…Code White. Rogue Huntsmen and they also come with different levels of severity."
"Aye, sadly, Code Red usually also entails aura users or huntsmen drop-outs, but since they aren't actual huntsmen, they don't warrant Code White."
"Sir?"
"…Nothing. Just be prepared for the worst." They were in Dock 10 now, and he could see panicking workers running in the opposite direction. "Kill the sirens and park here. We need to gear up then we'll continue on foot."
Raya did as told, and they quickly exited their car and moved to the trunk - they could hear the sounds of gunfire from here, so they needed to hurry. Popping it open, Cherif grabbed a bulletproof vest, a helmet, and a combat shotgun. Raya followed suit, opting for a scoped assault rifle.
She checked her ammo and then looked strangely at a metal chest.
"It's Dust. The Force would never invest in such contingencies, but I never take chances. I already have mine," he motioned to his belt of Fire Dust Shells. "Gear up; you have FDR magazines and a few Ice Grenades."
The girl's eyes widened, "Is that legal, sir?"
"Probably not, but like I said," Cherif opened the box and grabbed two grenades. "Better safe than sorry."
Raya nodded hesitantly, but Cherif could tell by the way her eyes shined that she was very much excited as she grabbed the rest. "I'm ready, sir."
"Let's go. I have more aura, so I'll take point."
They quickly moved towards Dock 11, which had gone strangely quiet. Cherif feared the worst and sped up as they sneakily approached the docks and hid behind a pile of crates. Sneaking a look, his lips tightened in anger.
There were many corpses of men strewn all over the dock. Most of them were fishermen or dockworkers, but he could spy the occasional child among the dead. Most likely young apprentices learning from their fathers.
Glancing towards the west, where the Verdant River met the Emerald River, Cherif found a few pontoons with a lot of gunmen. In the center, between the dock and the entrance to the inn, were even more gunmen. Finally, to the east was the Wayward Mermaid Inn, its entrance shot to hell and he could barely make out a couple of figures by the steps.
"You have better eyes than me. Use your glyph-scope, and tell me what you see."
Raya pointed her rifle at the crowds of gunmen on the docks and the boats, pressing a button that caused a subtle glyph to form on the scope's lens - it was an Aura Reading Scope that the young officer received as a graduation gift from her father. "I count 67 hostiles on the dock; 15 of them have their auras unlocked. There are also several empty boats and three pontoons with 12 men each in the water; around a quarter with aura unlocked. One of the boats has a machine gun on the prow."
That was far too many for a simple skirmish. What gang decided to muster all their goons for such a mindless massacre?
"Any eyes on the inn? Anything look weird to you?"
"There's a green-haired female hiding behind the thugs. I think she's the leader." Cherif squinted his eyes at where she pointed and frowned - Nancy Green herself; why the bloody hell she was here, it did not matter. He would learn once he took her into custody, his semblance would make sure of it. "I can also see a white-haired female bleeding by the entrance and a blonde male standing–"
Their radio blared in their ears in a panicked shout, causing them to flinch heavily. "CODE WHITE LEVEL 3. I REPEAT, CODE WHITE LEVEL 3. WE HAVE A ROGUE HUNTSMAN, DO NOT ENGAGE. I REPEAT, DO NOT ENGAGE. ORDERS STRAIGHT FROM BEACON, LET THE HUNTSMAN ENGAGE THE GUNMEN. HUNTSMEN TEAM IS ENROUTE."
Cherif could barely process what was said before an insane Aura pressure smashed into them, nearly causing his old knees to buckle. So malicious and bloodthirsty, the old detective nearly bit his tongue at the feeling.
What the fuck was that?!
Cherif considered himself adequate enough in sensing aura that he did not need to learn glyphs or buy expensive gadgets and other methods to compensate. Yet he had never felt such… emotional aura before. That's not how aura sensing was supposed to work!
Looking at his partner, she was sweating profusely, yet she maintained a solid grip on her gun. Raya turned to him worryingly, and Cherif could only tap her shoulder reassuringly and nod.
He glanced from the corner of his hiding spot where he felt the aura was coming from. A blonde-haired man wearing a ridiculous-looking pajama was cracking his knuckles before aiming his right hand at the gunmen with a mock finger gun. He looked far too young to be the source of such emotions yet, his senses did not lie.
"T-That's an o-obscene amount of aura, s-sir."
Raya had her gun aimed at him, the digital radar-like gizmo on the scope's lens spinning rapidly as it tried to read their target. Cherif stared back at the blonde man, trying to–
Suddenly, there was a sound of thunder.
Cherif blinked and rubbed his eyes, but no, that was still a revolver that appeared out of nowhere in the man's hand. A smoking revolver and tracing its aim, the detective could hear a scream of pain as one of the thugs holding a large riot shield dropped it as it turned to molten slag.
It was like a signal and now all the gunmen were firing at whom Cherif assumed was the rogue huntsman. A certain woman's grating scream caused him to frown; who the hell was Franz?
"Sir! Aura user coming from the boat. He's clad in body armor, huntsman level aura reserves, and has a heavy machine gun."
Cherif was glad his partner kept an eye on the docks, for he was too distracted by the melee in front of them.
"Weapons free, Miss Seeker."
"But sir, dispatch said–"
"Not to engage the Huntsman. All those thugs are fair game and have already proven to be a danger to society." He struggled to maintain a professional demeanor, yet his eyes found a dead boy's vacant ones staring right at him; his chest was a mangled mess from buckshot - Cherif gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. "Weapons free, aim for the boats. We don't need more of them on the ground. Our target is Nancy Green; apprehend her if possible, but don't risk yourself. On me!"
Without further ado, Cherif Munier stormed out of his hiding spot, running as fast as he could towards the boats. Gunfire followed him as Raya opened fire at the heavy gunner, her regular bullets aimed accurately at his head, but the man's helmet and aura protected the worst of it. It still distracted the heavy gunner away from Cherif's target.
There was a lot more firepower going on in the background, along with a strange humming that seemed to reverberate in his mind. Cherif ignored it as he focused on his target.
He threw a grenade at one of the pontoons, one that had a machine gun aiming at him, and smirked as the entire boat erupted into an iceberg. Then, the detective turned to find the heavy gunner trying to aim his machine gun at him, yet Raya continued firing at his helmet.
It provided enough of a distraction for Cherif to unload his shotgun at the heavyset man, setting him ablaze. The man screamed in pain, firing his machine gun in his general direction. The detective ducked but was not fast enough and ate a few rounds to his armor; one even knocked off his helmet and slightly dazed him.
His aura helped negate the damage, but he could not afford to take more of that. On the ground, Cherif had a better vision of the fight between the huntsman and the rest of the thugs.
It was a slaughter.
The young man must either have an insanely powerful defense-based semblance or simply, like Raya said, had so much aura that he completely shrugged off anything thrown at him. Cherif was unsure if he was all there in the head as he grabbed two thugs by the neck and used them as shields before bulldozing his way through a dozen thugs. Even through the dim of gunfire and explosions, Cherif could still hear the sound of broken bones and screams of agony from his position on the ground… along with a somewhat deranged giggle.
The heavy gunner, whom Cherif assumed was the so-called Franz, angrily flared his aura, blasting away the fire still sticking to him. Before he could do anything, though, FDRs slammed into his flank, dousing him in even more flames. Cherif nodded gratefully to Raya, still in her position about a hundred feet away, who continued firing in bursts of three rounds.
Climbing back to his feet, the detective pumped his shotgun and unleashed hell on the screaming man, this time aiming for the machine gun. Once it was reduced to a lump of molten slag, he fired his last round at Franz's torso, sending him flying back as the sound of his aura breaking reverberated like shattering glass.
The heavyset man crashed into two thugs protecting Nancy Green, who seemed to finally notice the skirmish behind her. Before Cherif could move to apprehend her, several bullets slammed into his back, sending him sprawling forward on the ground. His aura and vest saved him, yet it still hurt like a bitch.
He did not need to return fire as he could hear screams of agony behind him along with a rush of heat. Glancing at Raya, the young woman was reloading her rifle as she aimed at the rest of the pontoons behind him, but they were now firing at her.
"Forget this shit, get me out of here you fools!"
Cherif quickly stood and started reloading his shotgun, finding the woman making her way to an abandoned speed boat to the north. The blonde huntsman was busy beating up nearly the entire army of thugs on his lonesome, yet he still did not seem to take the fight seriously. Raya was busy trading fire with the pontoon boats, which meant only Cherif could stop Nancy Green.
However, before he could do anything, an entire glacier formed in front of the woman, blocking the way to the now frozen speed boat. It stretched all the way to the inn's entrance, where a white-haired girl stood. She held a sword in her left hand and wore a hoodie a few sizes too large that went to her thighs. She also had a lit cigarette in her mouth, which she took a deep drag before exhaling a cloud of fumes as she glared angrily at the woman.
"You're not getting away so easily, you freak!"
Earlier
Once the fighting began, Weiss took one look at her cousin through her analyze glyph, understood that she was entirely unneeded here, and swiftly crawled into the inn, keeping her head low as stray bullets flew above her. She hurried to the overturned desk, where Becky had ripped the glass shard from her thigh and was trying to bind it with a first aid kit she got from somewhere.
"Here, I got it." Weiss quickly took the first aid box from her and helped her bind her wound. The woman grunted but remained silent as Weiss cut away her pants to reach the wound. Thankfully, it did not seem to cut any major artery, and it did not take long to apply medical gel and bind it. "There, that should do it, but I don't really know much about treating wounds. Try not to stand on it for now."
Becky grunted again, and Weiss turned to her face, finding the woman trying to light a cigarette with her shaking hands. Sighing in pity, she grabbed the lighter and lit it for her.
"Thanks."
"You can hear me now?"
"Little bit, right ear is busted, I think." Becky took a deep drag from her cigarette before grinning at Weiss. "You showed some good spunk out there, girlie. Not bad."
Weiss was unsure what to say to that; did the woman miss when that harlot screamed for her head?
"Aren't you angry?"
"What for?"
"Nancy Green and her army of thugs are here because of me." Weiss had seen the dead workers outside, people she had seen alive yesterday, who were only doing what they could to survive and live in peace. "It's all my fault so many people are dead!"
"Naw, fuckers who killed them and attacked this place are the ones at fault." Becky shrugged before offering her a cigarette from her pack that Weiss accepted after a moment of hesitation. Becky moved her head closer to hers, lighting her cigarette with the lit tip of her own. "So, what the fuck did you even do to piss off that pimping bitch so much?"
"That harlot tried to force me to-to… sell my body to some freaks!"
Becky burst out laughing, and Weiss looked at her angrily, only for the older woman to raise both hands in surrender. "Easy now, you ain't the first gal who got duped into a waitress job only to find yourself shackled in a sex dungeon and getting railed by a train."
Weiss did not need to be a genius to figure out what she meant, and her face went green. She took a deep drag from her cigarette, coughing slightly as she took it all to her lungs, before blowing out the noxious fumes. She stared in sympathy at the older woman.
"Was it also her?"
"Yep."
"How could she get away with that?"
"Friends and customers in high places, along with a copious amount of thugs at her beck and call. Believe it or not, she's a small fry compared to the really shitty people out there." Becky shrugged as she finished her cigarette and crawled towards her office door. "Help me out here."
Weiss half carried the woman inside the office, still reeling over what she learned - a small fry had enough influence and money for her own private army, kidnapping girls to force them into prostitution, and then going on a killing spree because she got her just dues?
Vale was looking to be an insane place.
The room was very messy, with monitors and a terminal on one side where she could see the battle outside. She did not notice any surveillance cameras yesterday, but then again, she was not searching for any.
Looking over the rest of the office, Weiss nearly dropped Becky when she found her luggage and Myrtenaster's case on a messy desk.
"Why the hell are my things here?!"
"I told you when you arrived that I thought you offed yourself or something. Was going to pawn them off, but you came back."
"And you didn't give them back?"
"I was going to, but then you ran off to your room." Becky shrugged as Weiss dropped her on a beer-stained couch. "I figured you would come back for them, but you never did. I guess you were so exhausted that you fell asleep straight away, huh?"
Weiss did not answer; instead, opting to move to her clothes luggage. She quickly opened it and dressed in a proper skirt and shoes, yet she decided to keep wearing Arc's hoodie for some inexplicable reason. It felt… comforting.
Shaking her head, she moved to Myrtenaster's case. Opening it, she found her trusty sword as she last left it. Weiss grabbed it and loaded it with Dust Rounds before closing the case and turning to the grinning older woman staring at a screen.
"That geezer with the shotgun is a cop, well known in the residential district." She pointed at the screen. "I'm surprised they sent someone so fast, one of the big guns as well."
Weiss glanced once at the elderly cop before focusing on Jaune Arc, utterly annihilating the rest of the thugs. Then, her eyes fell on the main cause of all this mayhem, and she gripped her sword tightly before moving towards the exit.
"Well, Weiss? Gonna deal some punishment on that hag?"
"Maybe, but answer me this first." Weiss gazed at Becky over her shoulder. "Did you know about Jaune Arc?"
"Who, the blonde kid? I knew he was an Adventurer who was planning to enroll in Beacon. Haven't met any proper Adventurers in some time, not since they closed the last guild building a few years back."
"Hmm, yes, considering his grandfather, it would make sense for him to be an Adventurer." Weiss hummed to herself before glancing at the screens showing Arc beating three thugs with another thug in his hand. "Yet you felt safe enough allowing such a powerful man to stay in your inn."
Becky chortled, "Did I know he was a hidden monster? Nope, he kept to himself and never made trouble. Though strangely enough, I never seemed to find him asleep whether it was the dead of night or high noon. Always fishing."
"Interesting. Stay here, I will ensure that harlot will rue all of her life choices."
Weiss did not wait for a reply and sped out of the office. It had just occurred to her that all her injuries were healed, which couldn't be from whatever Arc did to refill her aura. Hers was not potent enough to provide such healing power.
Something to think about later.
Arriving at the entrance, she found there was a lot less gunfire going on. Arc had all the thugs to himself; it almost looked like he was playing a game of whack-a-mole as he shrugged off gunshots and other strikes. Such insane aura defense and combat prowess… it just raised so many questions that she vowed to get answers for, but later.
By the boats, the cop had just blasted away a large man in armor, only to hit the deck from gunfire coming behind him, just as someone in the distance shot at the boats.
None of that mattered to Weiss as she heard the wretched creature screaming a retreat from her right. Nancy Green had a dozen thugs still protecting her as they hurried towards a speed boat on the north side of the dock. Weiss did not think, only bit hard on the cigarette in her mouth as she channeled aura to her weapon. The cylinder glowed a bluish-white as it swiveled to the Ice Dust round, and then Weiss waved her sword.
She sucked on the cigarette in annoyance. The glacier was smaller than she wanted, and missed the woman and her goons. Weiss was out of practice. Still, it did the job as Nancy Green and her band of misfits had nowhere to go.
Weiss walked towards them, glaring at the despicable bitch. She inhaled the last of her smoke before crushing the bud with her right hand. She was starting to like the burn that smoking gave her. Weiss could almost feel her lungs heal themselves from any damage done to them.
"You're not getting away so easily, you freak!"
Nancy's good eye widened with terror as she pushed her thugs towards her. "Kill the bitch already!"
A loud yawning sound had everyone turn to where Arc was fighting. The blonde menace was sitting on a mountain of groaning and moaning men; his mouth stretched into a massive yawn on his tired face.
"Nobody moves!" The old policeman suddenly shouted. Another cop, a woman, joined him - Weiss could hear no more gunfire from the boats, though she spied one hightailing it out of here. "This is the Vale Police. Nancy Green, you and your cronies are under arrest. Resist, and I will fill you all with lead. Huntsmen, stand down!"
Weiss nearly relaxed her guard, but then one of the thugs raised his gun… only for a sound of thunder to nearly deafen her as he erupted into flames - his screams of agony caused his fellow goons to bunch up in fear.
"Tut, Tut. Didn't the good copper tell you not to move?" Jaune Arc flicked his massive gun and blew at the smoking barrel. Then he jumped from the piled-up bodies to the ground, stumbling a step, before causing his gun to disappear somehow. "See what you made me do? And I did so well avoiding killing any of you fools so far, at least not intentionally, hehehe."
Before any more escalation could happen, a bullhead flew overhead, and four shadows fell to the ground. Two of them aiming for her cousin, a woman who somehow landed into the ground as if it was water, grabbed Arc's legs and pulled him downwards, causing him to sink to his knees before diving back underground.
Jaune Arc looked quizzically at his sunken legs, "Aw man, my sisters made me this onesie. I hope it doesn't get ruined from this."
Before he could try to free himself, a massive man with a bald head landed behind him and grabbed Arc's shoulders.
"Please don't resist Mr Arc. I'm just doing my job."
Two more Huntsmen, sisters if Weiss had to guess, landed in front of Nancy Green and her thugs, immediately disarming them without warning. Weiss, however, had eyes only for the bullhead's open door, where a blonde woman with green eyes wearing a white shirt, black skirt, and purple cape gazed coldly at the carnage below.
She jumped, somehow floating as she landed next to the cop. They conversed quickly before the woman signaled for one of the huntsmen to drag Nancy Green to them. The green-haired harlot bitched and screamed, but the blonde woman waved a… was that a riding crop? Either way, it caused the harlot to be struck silent and brought to her knees, where the old cop took off his glove and placed a hand on her head.
"Miss, I will ask you to sheath your weapon while we conduct our investigation."
Weiss turned to the woman who so quickly subdued Jaune Arc, wondering when she came behind her. She had short red hair, amber eyes, and pale skin. The woman looked utterly relaxed as she chewed on a bubblegum. Turning to Arc, she found him snickering with the giant of a man as if sharing a joke. The man held… was that the stealth user? When did they retrieve him?
"Well, hun? Gonna cause trouble?"
"N-No, I just… don't have the sheath with me."
The woman sighed before motioning for her to follow. "Whatever, don't make trouble and come along. The boss lady wants a word."
Weiss followed to where the blonde woman had all the thugs, along with the survivors from the pontoons, suspended midair as she talked with Jaune Arc. The cop and his partner were boarding the now-landed bullhead, Nancy Green in cuffs between them.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Weiss Schnee." The blonde woman suddenly turned to her. "I am the deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch. This might be sudden, but I will ask you to join us at the precinct for a statement."
Weiss glanced at Arc; he did not seem to mind at all about being arrested, even having the audacity to wink at her!
"I-I don't mind, but there are wounded inside."
"Please do not worry; everything shall be taken care of."
As if waiting for this exact moment, the sounds of blaring sirens filled the dock. Ambulances, police cars, more boats, and strange yellow bullheads appeared out of nowhere. Almost as if they waited for the situation to fix itself before showing their faces to clean up after they had done all their work.
It had been 24 hours since Weiss Schnee had set foot in Vale. She hoped the rest of her stay was not nearly as exciting.
Earlier that morning
Detective Munier sighed as he stared at his fifth cup of coffee since starting his shift. He did not even like coffee, but unfortunately, his tea thermos had long been emptied midway through his first shift. Now, he's at the tail end of his double shift, the fifth one this week.
Only three more hours to go, Cherif.
His young partner parked their patrol car outside the rundown apartment building where dispatch had sent them for their next assignment. The young woman was a recent graduate from the police academy; top of her year, and an excellent marksman with unlocked aura at a respectable level. The precinct decided to pair her with him, the oldest dog still in the force.
Typically, new graduates would spend a couple of years doing administrative errands, but given the force's current state, that was no longer feasible.
At 72 years old, Cherif should have retired twelve years ago, yet Vale lawmakers had bumped the retirement age to 62 in an attempt to combat the reckless pension plans offered decades ago… and then to 65 a couple of years later. By the time he was of age to retire, he had decided to stay with the force after all. They barely had anyone to do the job, and Cherif had no wish to rot in his empty house by his lonesome.
Dead wife, dead kids, grandkids he barely knew living their own lives in Argus… He had no wish to impose on them, no matter how many times they begged him to move in with them. Cherif was not an invalid; on the contrary, his constant training had allowed him to look and act far younger than his age would show. There was still plenty of good to be done here in Vale.
Like his protege, Cherif was an aura user, a talented one who had unlocked his semblance at a young age. He was expected to enroll in Beacon, yet he had chosen to follow his father's footsteps in the less prestigious path of a policeman - especially since his semblance was more useful in this line of work. The huntsmen might fight the Grimm in the borderlands, but someone needed to make sure they had a home to return to.
"Sir?" He was broken from his thoughts by the girl's voice. "Should we head in?"
Raya Seeker had been his partner for two weeks now. Her short brown hair was tied into a simple ponytail, yet he could see a few frazzled stray locks. Her eyes were not as bright as when she was first assigned to him, yet she never complained about their long work hours.
"Let's go."
They exited the car, Cherif subtly stretching his legs as the morning sun shined down on him. He glanced at the back seat, where his trench coat was folded, with his hat atop it, but decided against wearing it. It might be classy, and it helped hide his gun belt, but the heat was unbearable as it was. Checking his reflection, he made sure his snow-white hair was combed sideways and his dark eyes did not look too sleep-deprived. Cherif lamented the loss of his black hair, but he was not vain enough to constantly dye it.
At least he still had all his hair.
The detective took this chance to drain his lukewarm coffee before throwing it in an overflowing trashcan. His eyes traced a couple of men in the nearby alley, whom he nodded to. They returned his nod and moved deeper into the alley. Raya stared after them questioningly, but he shook his head.
While this wasn't the poorest of neighborhoods in the residential district, it was only marginally better. A lamppost was missing its bulb, and judging by the broken glass on the ground, it was most likely shot. Stray dogs were fighting with homeless children over scraps of food behind some overcrowded restaurant. Men and women walked down the streets in endless droves while car horns blared ceaselessly as they maneuvered around food stalls opened on the streets - their owners busy cooking breakfast for the many commuters on the sidewalks.
If there was one thing Vale could reliably provide for its people, it would be the vast and diverse amount of beans and legumes that grew quickly all year. Bread, fish, and beans had been the region's main source of food since the days of the old empire.
The few police hands they had could not properly patrol this area of the residential district, yet the force had given him jurisdiction over it regardless. Cherif's reliance on other means of keeping the peace would not normally be approved by the higher-ups, but he knew they had little choice in the matter.
It was either his way or no way at all.
"All those stalls," Raya's hands twitched to her ticket book. "They can't be legal. Do they even have permits?"
"Don't bother. Those people are already downtrodden enough. They don't need more on their plate."
His partner nodded reluctantly before making sure their car was locked and joining him by the building's entrance. Raya Seeker had a lot to live up to. Her father was a major in the army, while her mother came from the old blood of Vale.
The girl was too serious, too dutiful, rarely smiled, and far too rigid for their line of work. It showed in her demeanor: narrow eyes, furrowed brows, pursed lips, and a straight back. Even after fifteen hours of work, she did not allow fatigue to show anywhere nor let her crisp and starched uniform have a single wrinkle. She did everything with deliberate precision, just as she was raised by her strict mother and hard ass of a father.
Cherif loved that about her. Far different from some of his other partners.
There was a difference between some officers who bent, sometimes even broke, the law, claiming the system is already broken so might as well benefit from it anyway. Then, there was him who believed in social cohesion at the cost of overlooking many petty crimes. What was the point of writing citations to people as misfortunate as those when it was clear they would never be able to pay? Waste of paper, that's what it was. They couldn't very well imprison them; Vale had limited prison space, and building any outside the Walls would be catastrophic.
The high walls of Vale were more than just a landmark. Every hour of every day, thousands of troops patrol them and shoot any approaching Grimm that would be attracted to the extreme amount of negativity emanating from over eighty million people living in the city. It was the reason Beacon was built on a high hill close to the Emerald Forest; the further so many powerful aura users were away from the city and her people, the better use they were luring the Grimm away.
Cherif was not particularly popular in the force or with the higher-ups, which explained why he was still a detective in his old age. The fact that the police force was severely understaffed and underfunded for so many years came back to bite them. He had always made his opinion known about it, which did not endear him to the sycophants in the government.
They even had him do regular patrol work now! It's still better than staying at home, and there was no denying that he provided results. His newest partner was evidence of that.
"It's a miracle we found an empty spot right next to the building," Raya said as they climbed the steps to the building, passing by an arguing couple, and turned to the elevator. "Was that another one of those perks you mentioned, sir?"
"Aye, I know some people here who try their best to keep the peace." Cherif pressed the elevator button only to find it broken - he stifled a sigh before heading to the stairs; it was going to be a long climb. "They are good people. I will introduce you to them, but if you would rather not use my methods, I won't force you."
"Thank you, sir. I understand now that doing everything by the books is not plausible, but I still want to do things the right way… Sir."
He chuckled at the girl's obstinacy - just a week ago, she would have insisted on writing those tickets for vendors lacking permits. The sooner she learned to be more flexible, the better, yet he admitted to finding her principled nature endearing.
"Alright, lass, suit yourself. We have a dozen more floors to climb before we reach the apartment. Remind me what our assignment was again?"
"A missing person case." The detective stifled a sigh; there had been far too many of those recently, but this was the first one he got assigned to in a while. "It was filed three days ago. Maisie Lee, 16 years old, female. Last seen four days ago, going to the commercial district for her job. Her family believes she was kidnapped."
Raya opened her scroll and pulled out the report for him, where a picture of a young woman greeted him. Despite owning a first-generation scroll that he only used for texts and calls, Cherif had yet to get accustomed to those new trinkets. Using it for anything more sophisticated was beyond him. He could still remember when simple handheld radios were all the rage. Speaking of, his hand wandered to his belt, making sure his radio was tuned for emergencies only, before placing the earpiece in his ear.
"Make sure your radio is also set for emergencies." Raya quickly mirrored his actions, and he gave her a nod of approval. "It would not do to have it blaring radio chatter while we speak to emotional parents."
"Yes sir."
They continued climbing the stairs in silence. Even with aura, so many steps were torture on his knees, especially as they had to maneuver around children running up and down the steps doing errands or whatnot. Regardless, his attention was on the report, lamenting that it took so long to reach him. Cherif read all he could before they reached their destination, and an idea of what happened to the girl formed in his mind. Still, he would need to confirm with her family.
"Here we are." They stopped by a cracked and badly painted apartment door then turned to his partner. "Ready?"
Raya nodded, politely taking off her police cap and standing behind him as he knocked on the door.
.
.
.
"Thank you for the tea, Mr Lee. I promise I will do all I can to find your daughter."
The middle-aged man nodded solemnly as he held his wife and young son in a comforting hug. They had already been here for two hours, and any more platitudes would be cheap. After learning all they could about the girl's disappearance, Cherif did not waste time and excused themselves to get back to work.
He nearly raised his hand to tip his hat before remembering he left it in the car. Instead, he nodded one last time before leaving the apartment, Raya dutifully following him.
"What do you think, Miss Seeker?"
"They were refugees who moved here practically on the first day of the war. The girl must have picked up a job to help with their expenses, but how she disappeared in the commercial district raises questions."
"Aye, she must have found a very lucrative job to stick to a three-hour commute," Cherif replied as they climbed down the stairs. "Most likely not entirely legal, considering she would not tell her family what it was."
"But you do have an idea, sir?"
"I do, and this isn't the first case of a pretty young woman gone missing. There have been a slew of similar cases over the past few months, but the numbers have exploded with the refugee crisis. I believe I know who to call for this." They had to stop and make room for two men moving an oversized couch up the stairs before continuing down. "I'll let you know in the car."
A few minutes later, they were back outside the building. Their car was as they left it, with not even a scratch. Cherif nodded approvingly before walking to the nearby alley and handed a crumpled roll of Lein to the two men who had watched over it. They nodded gratefully and quickly left the scene.
"Sir?"
"In the car, Miss Seeker."
Once inside the privacy of the car, with the windows shut and the AC cranked up to the maximum, Cherif turned to his partner. "What do you think would have happened if I did not prepare watchers for the car?"
"… Most likely broken into, and our trunk would be missing plenty of weaponry."
"Exactly. The police are not popular in these parts for reasons that are out of our hands. There are already enough weapons on the streets following the war, and a patrol car would be a juicy target for any ill-doers. Gangs and the mob practically rule these parts, yet even they know to cooperate with us or risk escalating and bringing the huntsmen on their heads."
"We do not need huntsmen to do our work." Raya practically growled as she tightened her hold on the steering wheel, causing him to chuckle. "Sir?"
"Trust me, lass. I believe you. I did not gain all that respect from those types of people by being nice and offering mutual benefit."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"When the time comes, and I introduce them to you, it will be up to you to earn their respect. Whether by beating the shit out of them or saving one of their own from a trumped-up charge, which are more common than I like. Anyway, I'm going to make a call. Keep an ear out for dispatch."
Cherif removed the radio piece from his ear and dialed a certain number on his scroll, while turning on the loudspeaker. Glancing at his partner to find her listening closely, he nodded approvingly and waited patiently until a groggy voice answered. "Hello?"
"Junior! Didn't catch you before your morning coffee, did I?"
"Mr Munier! No, sir. I just woke up. What's up?"
"Need your help with something. Another one of those Missing Girls cases."
"Oh, bummer. Let me grab Melanie. She might know something."
Cherif put the scroll on mute then turned to Raya. "Hei Xiong, leader of the Xiong Family. Used to be a pain in our asses back in the day. The former leader, Junior's father, even had plants in the VPD, but after his death, Junior decided to take the safer route of cooperating with the police."
"So he is an agent of ours?"
"Bloody hell no! He's still a mobster who looks after his own self-interest first and foremost." Cherif chuckled at his partner's face, "He just understands the hierarchy of society, his place on the food chain, and the importance of providing me with information. He's a good information broker, owns a popular club in the commercial district, also called Junior's."
"Provides you, sir? Not the VPD?"
"Caught that, eh? Yeah, don't expect him to bend over backwards to the rest of the force. As I said, you will need to earn their respect… and fear."
"Hello?"
This time, another drowsy voice, a female one, came from the scroll. "Miss Malachite, sorry I woke you up, my dear, but I got a case for you."
"That's alright," A loud yawn emanated from the scroll. "It's going to cost you, though, Detective."
"Of course it does. The day a Malachite provides information for free is the day the moon would fix itself."
"As long as you understand." The tired voice had an amused lilt to it. "Now, what have you got for me?"
.
.
.
"So? Ring any bells?"
A few minutes later, Cherif had gone over what he knew about the case with the girl.
"As a matter of fact, it does. Just last night, I hired a girl who escaped from a secret brothel that pretended to be a cafe. It may or may not be the same one who could have kidnapped Miss Lee, but I believe it's worth a shot."
"Thank you, Miss Malachite. How's your mother, by the way? Still being a nuisance?"
"No, she is just being a bitch, now."
Cherif chuckled at the girl's dry tone. "I suppose one can't choose their family. Anyway, text me what you know about that place, and I'll swing by with your payment later."
"Pleasure doing business with you, Grampy~." Cherif merely chuckled at the girl's insolence; it was like talking to his own great-grandchildren. "And No, Junior! This is my deal, and you won't get to mooch–"
The scroll hung up then, and Cherif could only shake his head at the strange relationship between the Malachites and Junior. "Well, we got a lead."
"Indeed, sir. Who was the girl?"
"You will know when we visit them. Probably in a couple of days." His scroll beeped, and Cherif checked the information before clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Outside of our jurisdiction. The place acts as a Maid Cafe of all things, but it's deep in the commercial district. We will have to go through a lot of red tape just to investigate it, let alone get a warrant. Especially with the owner being Nancy Green."
"Who?"
"Some actress and TV host who was popular a few decades ago. From the generation after me and long before your time. She's friends with a lot of politicians and other important people."
"I see. Where to next, sir?"
"Dispatch didn't send us another assignment?" Raya shook her head, causing him to relax and stifle a yawn. "Then we can call it a day and–"
Suddenly, their radios blared in a loud beeping sound that caused Cherif to instantly be on alert.
"Attention all units on this frequency, we have a Code Red in Dock 11. I repeat, we have a Code Red in Dock 11. May the closest unit, please respond."
Raya's hands flew to the car's radio but halted as she looked at him questioningly. Cherif nodded, and the girl picked up the receiver. "Officer Seeker and Detective Munier, here. We are ten minutes away from Dock 11. What's the situation?"
"Reports of gunfire and explosions in the Wayward Mermaid Inn. Suspected gang war in progress. Detective Munier, please respond with confirmation."
His partner stared at him once more, and Cherif grabbed the speaker. "Munier here. We are on the way. ETA ten minutes." He let the receiver return to the radio and turned to his partner, "Let's hurry."
Raya turned on the sirens and slammed on the gas, expertly getting them out of the tight parking spot and sending pedestrians out of the way. The crowded streets would normally not be easy to get out of owing to the many vendors and cars, but the moment the sirens blared, everyone moved aside for them to pass. Certain men and women nodded or waved to him as they passed, and Cherif was glad he invested his presence in this place.
"So, Code Red. What does that mean?"
He never let a chance to educate his protege go, though he doubted Raya would fail to know such basics. He would admit that when she was first assigned to him, Cherif had his doubts. Practically a rich girl playing at being a police officer, yet within the first day, Raya Seeker had proved him wrong.
"Sir. It means mass shooting with potential fatalities. As dispatch mentioned, the most likely cause is a gang war."
"Good answer. Normally, Code Red is the highest level policemen would tackle, but there are two more codes above it. What are they?"
"Code Black, which is a Grimm attack and it has levels that go from one to five depending on the severity of the attack. One is lowest, while five is highest."
"Indeed. The last time we had to deal with a Grimm attack in Vale proper was years ago. Not even in the war last month did the Grimm manage to breach the walls." Raya nodded but kept her eyes on the road, speeding through traffic like mad as they approached the harbor at Dock 8 from the east before turning north to make their way to their destination. "Now, what's the final, and some would say, the worst code?"
"…Code White. Rogue Huntsmen and they also come with different levels of severity."
"Aye, sadly, Code Red usually also entails aura users or huntsmen drop-outs, but since they aren't actual huntsmen, they don't warrant Code White."
"Sir?"
"…Nothing. Just be prepared for the worst." They were in Dock 10 now, and he could see panicking workers running in the opposite direction. "Kill the sirens and park here. We need to gear up then we'll continue on foot."
Raya did as told, and they quickly exited their car and moved to the trunk - they could hear the sounds of gunfire from here, so they needed to hurry. Popping it open, Cherif grabbed a bulletproof vest, a helmet, and a combat shotgun. Raya followed suit, opting for a scoped assault rifle.
She checked her ammo and then looked strangely at a metal chest.
"It's Dust. The Force would never invest in such contingencies, but I never take chances. I already have mine," he motioned to his belt of Fire Dust Shells. "Gear up; you have FDR magazines and a few Ice Grenades."
The girl's eyes widened, "Is that legal, sir?"
"Probably not, but like I said," Cherif opened the box and grabbed two grenades. "Better safe than sorry."
Raya nodded hesitantly, but Cherif could tell by the way her eyes shined that she was very much excited as she grabbed the rest. "I'm ready, sir."
"Let's go. I have more aura, so I'll take point."
They quickly moved towards Dock 11, which had gone strangely quiet. Cherif feared the worst and sped up as they sneakily approached the docks and hid behind a pile of crates. Sneaking a look, his lips tightened in anger.
There were many corpses of men strewn all over the dock. Most of them were fishermen or dockworkers, but he could spy the occasional child among the dead. Most likely young apprentices learning from their fathers.
Glancing towards the west, where the Verdant River met the Emerald River, Cherif found a few pontoons with a lot of gunmen. In the center, between the dock and the entrance to the inn, were even more gunmen. Finally, to the east was the Wayward Mermaid Inn, its entrance shot to hell and he could barely make out a couple of figures by the steps.
"You have better eyes than me. Use your glyph-scope, and tell me what you see."
Raya pointed her rifle at the crowds of gunmen on the docks and the boats, pressing a button that caused a subtle glyph to form on the scope's lens - it was an Aura Reading Scope that the young officer received as a graduation gift from her father. "I count 67 hostiles on the dock; 15 of them have their auras unlocked. There are also several empty boats and three pontoons with 12 men each in the water; around a quarter with aura unlocked. One of the boats has a machine gun on the prow."
That was far too many for a simple skirmish. What gang decided to muster all their goons for such a mindless massacre?
"Any eyes on the inn? Anything look weird to you?"
"There's a green-haired female hiding behind the thugs. I think she's the leader." Cherif squinted his eyes at where she pointed and frowned - Nancy Green herself; why the bloody hell she was here, it did not matter. He would learn once he took her into custody, his semblance would make sure of it. "I can also see a white-haired female bleeding by the entrance and a blonde male standing–"
Their radio blared in their ears in a panicked shout, causing them to flinch heavily. "CODE WHITE LEVEL 3. I REPEAT, CODE WHITE LEVEL 3. WE HAVE A ROGUE HUNTSMAN, DO NOT ENGAGE. I REPEAT, DO NOT ENGAGE. ORDERS STRAIGHT FROM BEACON, LET THE HUNTSMAN ENGAGE THE GUNMEN. HUNTSMEN TEAM IS ENROUTE."
Cherif could barely process what was said before an insane Aura pressure smashed into them, nearly causing his old knees to buckle. So malicious and bloodthirsty, the old detective nearly bit his tongue at the feeling.
What the fuck was that?!
Cherif considered himself adequate enough in sensing aura that he did not need to learn glyphs or buy expensive gadgets and other methods to compensate. Yet he had never felt such… emotional aura before. That's not how aura sensing was supposed to work!
Looking at his partner, she was sweating profusely, yet she maintained a solid grip on her gun. Raya turned to him worryingly, and Cherif could only tap her shoulder reassuringly and nod.
He glanced from the corner of his hiding spot where he felt the aura was coming from. A blonde-haired man wearing a ridiculous-looking pajama was cracking his knuckles before aiming his right hand at the gunmen with a mock finger gun. He looked far too young to be the source of such emotions yet, his senses did not lie.
"T-That's an o-obscene amount of aura, s-sir."
Raya had her gun aimed at him, the digital radar-like gizmo on the scope's lens spinning rapidly as it tried to read their target. Cherif stared back at the blonde man, trying to–
Suddenly, there was a sound of thunder.
Cherif blinked and rubbed his eyes, but no, that was still a revolver that appeared out of nowhere in the man's hand. A smoking revolver and tracing its aim, the detective could hear a scream of pain as one of the thugs holding a large riot shield dropped it as it turned to molten slag.
It was like a signal and now all the gunmen were firing at whom Cherif assumed was the rogue huntsman. A certain woman's grating scream caused him to frown; who the hell was Franz?
"Sir! Aura user coming from the boat. He's clad in body armor, huntsman level aura reserves, and has a heavy machine gun."
Cherif was glad his partner kept an eye on the docks, for he was too distracted by the melee in front of them.
"Weapons free, Miss Seeker."
"But sir, dispatch said–"
"Not to engage the Huntsman. All those thugs are fair game and have already proven to be a danger to society." He struggled to maintain a professional demeanor, yet his eyes found a dead boy's vacant ones staring right at him; his chest was a mangled mess from buckshot - Cherif gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. "Weapons free, aim for the boats. We don't need more of them on the ground. Our target is Nancy Green; apprehend her if possible, but don't risk yourself. On me!"
Without further ado, Cherif Munier stormed out of his hiding spot, running as fast as he could towards the boats. Gunfire followed him as Raya opened fire at the heavy gunner, her regular bullets aimed accurately at his head, but the man's helmet and aura protected the worst of it. It still distracted the heavy gunner away from Cherif's target.
There was a lot more firepower going on in the background, along with a strange humming that seemed to reverberate in his mind. Cherif ignored it as he focused on his target.
He threw a grenade at one of the pontoons, one that had a machine gun aiming at him, and smirked as the entire boat erupted into an iceberg. Then, the detective turned to find the heavy gunner trying to aim his machine gun at him, yet Raya continued firing at his helmet.
It provided enough of a distraction for Cherif to unload his shotgun at the heavyset man, setting him ablaze. The man screamed in pain, firing his machine gun in his general direction. The detective ducked but was not fast enough and ate a few rounds to his armor; one even knocked off his helmet and slightly dazed him.
His aura helped negate the damage, but he could not afford to take more of that. On the ground, Cherif had a better vision of the fight between the huntsman and the rest of the thugs.
It was a slaughter.
The young man must either have an insanely powerful defense-based semblance or simply, like Raya said, had so much aura that he completely shrugged off anything thrown at him. Cherif was unsure if he was all there in the head as he grabbed two thugs by the neck and used them as shields before bulldozing his way through a dozen thugs. Even through the dim of gunfire and explosions, Cherif could still hear the sound of broken bones and screams of agony from his position on the ground… along with a somewhat deranged giggle.
The heavy gunner, whom Cherif assumed was the so-called Franz, angrily flared his aura, blasting away the fire still sticking to him. Before he could do anything, though, FDRs slammed into his flank, dousing him in even more flames. Cherif nodded gratefully to Raya, still in her position about a hundred feet away, who continued firing in bursts of three rounds.
Climbing back to his feet, the detective pumped his shotgun and unleashed hell on the screaming man, this time aiming for the machine gun. Once it was reduced to a lump of molten slag, he fired his last round at Franz's torso, sending him flying back as the sound of his aura breaking reverberated like shattering glass.
The heavyset man crashed into two thugs protecting Nancy Green, who seemed to finally notice the skirmish behind her. Before Cherif could move to apprehend her, several bullets slammed into his back, sending him sprawling forward on the ground. His aura and vest saved him, yet it still hurt like a bitch.
He did not need to return fire as he could hear screams of agony behind him along with a rush of heat. Glancing at Raya, the young woman was reloading her rifle as she aimed at the rest of the pontoons behind him, but they were now firing at her.
"Forget this shit, get me out of here you fools!"
Cherif quickly stood and started reloading his shotgun, finding the woman making her way to an abandoned speed boat to the north. The blonde huntsman was busy beating up nearly the entire army of thugs on his lonesome, yet he still did not seem to take the fight seriously. Raya was busy trading fire with the pontoon boats, which meant only Cherif could stop Nancy Green.
However, before he could do anything, an entire glacier formed in front of the woman, blocking the way to the now frozen speed boat. It stretched all the way to the inn's entrance, where a white-haired girl stood. She held a sword in her left hand and wore a hoodie a few sizes too large that went to her thighs. She also had a lit cigarette in her mouth, which she took a deep drag before exhaling a cloud of fumes as she glared angrily at the woman.
"You're not getting away so easily, you freak!"
T*A*M*S
Earlier
Once the fighting began, Weiss took one look at her cousin through her analyze glyph, understood that she was entirely unneeded here, and swiftly crawled into the inn, keeping her head low as stray bullets flew above her. She hurried to the overturned desk, where Becky had ripped the glass shard from her thigh and was trying to bind it with a first aid kit she got from somewhere.
"Here, I got it." Weiss quickly took the first aid box from her and helped her bind her wound. The woman grunted but remained silent as Weiss cut away her pants to reach the wound. Thankfully, it did not seem to cut any major artery, and it did not take long to apply medical gel and bind it. "There, that should do it, but I don't really know much about treating wounds. Try not to stand on it for now."
Becky grunted again, and Weiss turned to her face, finding the woman trying to light a cigarette with her shaking hands. Sighing in pity, she grabbed the lighter and lit it for her.
"Thanks."
"You can hear me now?"
"Little bit, right ear is busted, I think." Becky took a deep drag from her cigarette before grinning at Weiss. "You showed some good spunk out there, girlie. Not bad."
Weiss was unsure what to say to that; did the woman miss when that harlot screamed for her head?
"Aren't you angry?"
"What for?"
"Nancy Green and her army of thugs are here because of me." Weiss had seen the dead workers outside, people she had seen alive yesterday, who were only doing what they could to survive and live in peace. "It's all my fault so many people are dead!"
"Naw, fuckers who killed them and attacked this place are the ones at fault." Becky shrugged before offering her a cigarette from her pack that Weiss accepted after a moment of hesitation. Becky moved her head closer to hers, lighting her cigarette with the lit tip of her own. "So, what the fuck did you even do to piss off that pimping bitch so much?"
"That harlot tried to force me to-to… sell my body to some freaks!"
Becky burst out laughing, and Weiss looked at her angrily, only for the older woman to raise both hands in surrender. "Easy now, you ain't the first gal who got duped into a waitress job only to find yourself shackled in a sex dungeon and getting railed by a train."
Weiss did not need to be a genius to figure out what she meant, and her face went green. She took a deep drag from her cigarette, coughing slightly as she took it all to her lungs, before blowing out the noxious fumes. She stared in sympathy at the older woman.
"Was it also her?"
"Yep."
"How could she get away with that?"
"Friends and customers in high places, along with a copious amount of thugs at her beck and call. Believe it or not, she's a small fry compared to the really shitty people out there." Becky shrugged as she finished her cigarette and crawled towards her office door. "Help me out here."
Weiss half carried the woman inside the office, still reeling over what she learned - a small fry had enough influence and money for her own private army, kidnapping girls to force them into prostitution, and then going on a killing spree because she got her just dues?
Vale was looking to be an insane place.
The room was very messy, with monitors and a terminal on one side where she could see the battle outside. She did not notice any surveillance cameras yesterday, but then again, she was not searching for any.
Looking over the rest of the office, Weiss nearly dropped Becky when she found her luggage and Myrtenaster's case on a messy desk.
"Why the hell are my things here?!"
"I told you when you arrived that I thought you offed yourself or something. Was going to pawn them off, but you came back."
"And you didn't give them back?"
"I was going to, but then you ran off to your room." Becky shrugged as Weiss dropped her on a beer-stained couch. "I figured you would come back for them, but you never did. I guess you were so exhausted that you fell asleep straight away, huh?"
Weiss did not answer; instead, opting to move to her clothes luggage. She quickly opened it and dressed in a proper skirt and shoes, yet she decided to keep wearing Arc's hoodie for some inexplicable reason. It felt… comforting.
Shaking her head, she moved to Myrtenaster's case. Opening it, she found her trusty sword as she last left it. Weiss grabbed it and loaded it with Dust Rounds before closing the case and turning to the grinning older woman staring at a screen.
"That geezer with the shotgun is a cop, well known in the residential district." She pointed at the screen. "I'm surprised they sent someone so fast, one of the big guns as well."
Weiss glanced once at the elderly cop before focusing on Jaune Arc, utterly annihilating the rest of the thugs. Then, her eyes fell on the main cause of all this mayhem, and she gripped her sword tightly before moving towards the exit.
"Well, Weiss? Gonna deal some punishment on that hag?"
"Maybe, but answer me this first." Weiss gazed at Becky over her shoulder. "Did you know about Jaune Arc?"
"Who, the blonde kid? I knew he was an Adventurer who was planning to enroll in Beacon. Haven't met any proper Adventurers in some time, not since they closed the last guild building a few years back."
"Hmm, yes, considering his grandfather, it would make sense for him to be an Adventurer." Weiss hummed to herself before glancing at the screens showing Arc beating three thugs with another thug in his hand. "Yet you felt safe enough allowing such a powerful man to stay in your inn."
Becky chortled, "Did I know he was a hidden monster? Nope, he kept to himself and never made trouble. Though strangely enough, I never seemed to find him asleep whether it was the dead of night or high noon. Always fishing."
"Interesting. Stay here, I will ensure that harlot will rue all of her life choices."
Weiss did not wait for a reply and sped out of the office. It had just occurred to her that all her injuries were healed, which couldn't be from whatever Arc did to refill her aura. Hers was not potent enough to provide such healing power.
Something to think about later.
Arriving at the entrance, she found there was a lot less gunfire going on. Arc had all the thugs to himself; it almost looked like he was playing a game of whack-a-mole as he shrugged off gunshots and other strikes. Such insane aura defense and combat prowess… it just raised so many questions that she vowed to get answers for, but later.
By the boats, the cop had just blasted away a large man in armor, only to hit the deck from gunfire coming behind him, just as someone in the distance shot at the boats.
None of that mattered to Weiss as she heard the wretched creature screaming a retreat from her right. Nancy Green had a dozen thugs still protecting her as they hurried towards a speed boat on the north side of the dock. Weiss did not think, only bit hard on the cigarette in her mouth as she channeled aura to her weapon. The cylinder glowed a bluish-white as it swiveled to the Ice Dust round, and then Weiss waved her sword.
She sucked on the cigarette in annoyance. The glacier was smaller than she wanted, and missed the woman and her goons. Weiss was out of practice. Still, it did the job as Nancy Green and her band of misfits had nowhere to go.
Weiss walked towards them, glaring at the despicable bitch. She inhaled the last of her smoke before crushing the bud with her right hand. She was starting to like the burn that smoking gave her. Weiss could almost feel her lungs heal themselves from any damage done to them.
"You're not getting away so easily, you freak!"
Nancy's good eye widened with terror as she pushed her thugs towards her. "Kill the bitch already!"
A loud yawning sound had everyone turn to where Arc was fighting. The blonde menace was sitting on a mountain of groaning and moaning men; his mouth stretched into a massive yawn on his tired face.
"Nobody moves!" The old policeman suddenly shouted. Another cop, a woman, joined him - Weiss could hear no more gunfire from the boats, though she spied one hightailing it out of here. "This is the Vale Police. Nancy Green, you and your cronies are under arrest. Resist, and I will fill you all with lead. Huntsmen, stand down!"
Weiss nearly relaxed her guard, but then one of the thugs raised his gun… only for a sound of thunder to nearly deafen her as he erupted into flames - his screams of agony caused his fellow goons to bunch up in fear.
"Tut, Tut. Didn't the good copper tell you not to move?" Jaune Arc flicked his massive gun and blew at the smoking barrel. Then he jumped from the piled-up bodies to the ground, stumbling a step, before causing his gun to disappear somehow. "See what you made me do? And I did so well avoiding killing any of you fools so far, at least not intentionally, hehehe."
Before any more escalation could happen, a bullhead flew overhead, and four shadows fell to the ground. Two of them aiming for her cousin, a woman who somehow landed into the ground as if it was water, grabbed Arc's legs and pulled him downwards, causing him to sink to his knees before diving back underground.
Jaune Arc looked quizzically at his sunken legs, "Aw man, my sisters made me this onesie. I hope it doesn't get ruined from this."
Before he could try to free himself, a massive man with a bald head landed behind him and grabbed Arc's shoulders.
"Please don't resist Mr Arc. I'm just doing my job."
Two more Huntsmen, sisters if Weiss had to guess, landed in front of Nancy Green and her thugs, immediately disarming them without warning. Weiss, however, had eyes only for the bullhead's open door, where a blonde woman with green eyes wearing a white shirt, black skirt, and purple cape gazed coldly at the carnage below.
She jumped, somehow floating as she landed next to the cop. They conversed quickly before the woman signaled for one of the huntsmen to drag Nancy Green to them. The green-haired harlot bitched and screamed, but the blonde woman waved a… was that a riding crop? Either way, it caused the harlot to be struck silent and brought to her knees, where the old cop took off his glove and placed a hand on her head.
"Miss, I will ask you to sheath your weapon while we conduct our investigation."
Weiss turned to the woman who so quickly subdued Jaune Arc, wondering when she came behind her. She had short red hair, amber eyes, and pale skin. The woman looked utterly relaxed as she chewed on a bubblegum. Turning to Arc, she found him snickering with the giant of a man as if sharing a joke. The man held… was that the stealth user? When did they retrieve him?
"Well, hun? Gonna cause trouble?"
"N-No, I just… don't have the sheath with me."
The woman sighed before motioning for her to follow. "Whatever, don't make trouble and come along. The boss lady wants a word."
Weiss followed to where the blonde woman had all the thugs, along with the survivors from the pontoons, suspended midair as she talked with Jaune Arc. The cop and his partner were boarding the now-landed bullhead, Nancy Green in cuffs between them.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Weiss Schnee." The blonde woman suddenly turned to her. "I am the deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch. This might be sudden, but I will ask you to join us at the precinct for a statement."
Weiss glanced at Arc; he did not seem to mind at all about being arrested, even having the audacity to wink at her!
"I-I don't mind, but there are wounded inside."
"Please do not worry; everything shall be taken care of."
As if waiting for this exact moment, the sounds of blaring sirens filled the dock. Ambulances, police cars, more boats, and strange yellow bullheads appeared out of nowhere. Almost as if they waited for the situation to fix itself before showing their faces to clean up after they had done all their work.
It had been 24 hours since Weiss Schnee had set foot in Vale. She hoped the rest of her stay was not nearly as exciting.
I've always wanted to write a police-based story in Vale. So much potential!
Cherif Munier's name is a play on words. Kudos to those who get it. He, along with his young partner, will be recurring characters in Vale.
Weiss just can't catch a break lol. I'm sure many of you have noticed that Jaune is not entirely there in the head. Sleep deprivation for a month does that to you.
Another aspect of Aura defense that I have hinted on many times but I decided to spell out here. If an aura user is wearing armor, their aura will automatically augment that armor depending on its quality.
If you would like to support me, or read five chapters ahead (total of twenty across all of my stories), join me on my Patr(eo)n under the same penname.
Cherif Munier's name is a play on words. Kudos to those who get it. He, along with his young partner, will be recurring characters in Vale.
Weiss just can't catch a break lol. I'm sure many of you have noticed that Jaune is not entirely there in the head. Sleep deprivation for a month does that to you.
Another aspect of Aura defense that I have hinted on many times but I decided to spell out here. If an aura user is wearing armor, their aura will automatically augment that armor depending on its quality.
If you would like to support me, or read five chapters ahead (total of twenty across all of my stories), join me on my Patr(eo)n under the same penname.